Vacuum cleaner filter bag



1 Feb. 11,1969 R. w. SCHAAF VACUUM CLEAN ER FILTER BAG Filed Sept. 13, 1965 United States Patent 3,426,510 VACUUM CLEANER FILTER BAG Robert W. Schaaf, Ozone Park, N.Y., assignor to Mil-An Mfg. Corp., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 486,757 US. Cl. 55-368 16 Claims Int. Cl. B01d 29/24 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vacuum cleaner filter bag comprising an air pervious body, a partition dividing the interior of the bag into two compartments, an inlet for said bag in communication with one of said compartments, an air pervious sleeve, with one end of said sleeve being in communication with said inlet and the other end With the other compartment.

The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners and in particular, to a bag especially adapted for use in an industrial vacuum cleaner.

Industrial vacuum cleaners use relatively large bags formed of air pervious material. However, the capacity of said bags is limited as a result of the clogging of the pores of the air pervious material by dust which is drawn into the bags.

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to greatly increase the capacity of vacuum cleaner bags especially of the type adapted for use in industrial vacuum cleaners.

It is another object of the present invention to minimize the affects of the clogging of the pores in the air pervious material of the vacuum cleaner bag by dust which is drawn therein.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a highly novel and efficient vacuum cleaner bag which is especially adapted for use in industrial vacuum cleaners.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from a consideration of the following specification taken in connection with the appended drawing.

In the drawing, which illustrates the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention,

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of an industrial vacuum cleaner provided with a bag pursuant to the present invention, portions being broken away and shown in section for purposes of illustration;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view and illustrates the coupling of the bag to the vacuum cleaner conduit;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 5--5 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is shown an industrial vacuum cleaner 10 provided with a vacuum cleaner bag 12 pursuant to the present invention. The vacuum cleaner 10 is of conventional construction and comprises a chassis 14 mounted by a pair of wheels 16 provided on an axle 18 of the chassis 14. An operating handle 20 extends rearwardly from the chassis. The chassis mounts a conventional vacuum cleaner motor 22. The motor is provided with a conventional air intake conduit 24 into which dirt and debris is introduced by suction from the conventional inlet member 25 of the vacuum cleaner. The outlet end of the air conduit 24 3,426,510 Patented Feb. 11, 1969 introduces the dirt and debris drawn into the vacuum cleaner into the vacuum cleaner bag 12 of the present invention.

The outer peripheral wall or body of filter bag 12 is formed of a suitable air pervious sheet material such as a fabric having sufiicient porosity to permit the passage of an airstream therethrough while simultaneously retaining or entrapping even fine dust. In the particular form of the invention illustrated, the bag 12 comprises a front end wall 32 and a rear end wall 34. An opening 36 enclosed by a collar 38 is provided in. front end wall 32.

A horizontally disposed intermediate wall or partition 26 which may be of a material similar to the bag wall, divides the body of bag 12 into an upper chamber or compartment 28 and a lower chamber or compartment 30. A sleeve 40 is disposed in the upper chamber 28 of the bag and communicates with the interior of lower chamber 30. The sleeve may be formed of a suitable sheet material such as a fabric and may with advantage, although not necessarily, have a degree of porosity similar to the porosity of the bag wall. As best shown in FIG- URE 4, the inlet end 42 of the sleeve 40 is enclosed by the collar 38 by means of the line of stitching 44. The collar enclosed end 42 of the sleeve 40 fits over the outlet end of the air intake conduit 24. In order to releasably secure or couple the sleeve and collar to the conduit 24, the collar is provided with the cooperating strap elements 46, 48, which may be secured together by a buckle means 50. As best shown in FIGURE 3, the outlet end 52 of the sleeve 40 extends into an aperture 54 dlefined in the wall divider or partition 26. The sleeve 40 is secured in the aperture 54 by means of the stitching .56.

In view of the foregoing, it will therefore be noted that the bag 12 is mounted on the outlet end of the air intake conduit 24 by means of the described coupling arrangement between the sleeve 40 and the conduit 24. In addition, it will be noted that the bag 12 is provided with flaps 58 through which the handle 20 extends and by means of which the opposite end 34 of the bag is mounted on the vacuum cleaner 10.

Pursuant to an important feature of the present invention, the sleeve 40 is provided along its upper surface with an insert 60 formed of a suitable foraminous or mesh material. The insert 60 is of a much higher degree of porosity than the bag wall material permitting the passage of relative coarse dust particles therethrough. Consequently, it will be apparent that when the vacuum cleaner motor 22 is operated, dirt, debris and dust will be sucked in or introduced by suction into the pick-up member 25 and through the latter into the air conduit 24. The dirt laden airstream then passes into the sleeve 40. From the sleeve 40, the larger or heavier elements 62 entrained in the dirt laden airstream are carried as indicated by the arrows 65 and impelled through the opening 54 into the lower chamber or compartment 30 which is essentially a dust and debris receiving compartment. It will be understood that dust of even fine mesh size is also carried into the lower chamber 30 by means of the airstream. The dust in the lower chamber tends in the normal manner to clog the pores of the porous bag material enclosing the lower chamber. This, of course, increases the resistance to air-flow through the lower chamber. However, as said resistance to airflow into the lower chamber increases, a pressure differential develops between the chambers and there is a greater tendency for a portion of the airstream and some entrained dust, which is generally indicated by the reference numeral 64, to flow through the foraminous material 60 of the sleeve 40 into the upper chamber 28 which is essentially an air receiving chamber. A suflicient airstream is nevertheless maintained so that much dust and debris is carried into the lower chamber as it is deflected by the sleeve wall. The very coarse dirt or debris continues to be carried by the airstream in the horizontal portion of the sleeve and is deflected by the elbow portion of the sleeve into the lower compartment, so long as a flow of air is maintained through the foraminous insert 60 as indicated by the arrows 65 and 66.

Of course, the fine dust which now also flows into the upper chamber also has a tendency to clog the pores of the outer walls of the upper chamber into which the dust fiows as indicated by the arrows 65. The arrows 66, as previously indicated, show the manner in which the dust falls into the lower chamber in connection with the debris which falls through the opening in the wall divider 26. However, due to the fact that air can escape through the foraminous material 60 as the resistance to air-flow into the lower chamber increases, it will be apparent that continued operation for a much longer time is possible with the bag 12. This results from the fact that there is a second air-flow through the foraminous material 60 as indicated by the arrows 66 and through the enclosing walls of the upper compartment 28. Conseqently, the capacity and safety of the bag 12 is greatly increased over prior art filter bags.

Pursuant to another feature of the present invention, the bag 12 is provided with a slide fastener 68 adjacent its end wall 34. By means of the slide fastener 68, the bag can be opened so as to discharge the contents thereof. However, pursuant to the present invention, provision is made lengthwise of the opening 70 which is closed by the slide fastener for a pair of flaps 72 and 74 which are secured along the inner surface of the bag 12 lengthwise of the opening 70 therein. It will be noted, as best shown in FIGURE 6, that the flaps, in the closed condition of the Zipper 68, overlie each other so as to seal the opening 70 internally of the bag so as to prevent the escape of air through the opening 70.

In view of the foregoing, it will be apparent that there has been illustrated and described a highly novel filter bag 12 for a vacuum cleaner, especially of the industrial type, the capacity of which is greatly increased due to the compartmented arrangement thereof in combination with the sleeve 40 provided with the foraminous inserts 60.

I claim:

1. A vacuum cleaner filter bag comprising a bag body having opposing end walls, an inner wall within said bag body inter-connecting said end walls to define upper and lower bag compartments, said bag body and said walls being formed of air pervious material, and a sleeve disposed in said upper compartment, one end of said sleeve extending through one end wall and the other end of said sleeve opening into said lower compartment, a portion of said sleeve being formed of a more porous material than said bag body.

2. A filter bag as in claim 1, said air pervious portion being a foraminous insert in said sleeve.

3. A vacuum cleaner filter bag comprising a bag body having opposing end walls, an inner wall within said bag body inter-connecting said end walls to define upper and lower bag compartments, said bag body and said walls being formed of air pervious material, and a sleeve, said sleeve being disposed in said upper compartment, one end of said sleeve extending through one end wall and the other end of said sleeve extending into an opening defined in said inner wall, and said sleeve having an air pervious portion between the ends thereof.

4. A filter bag as in claim 3, and a collar provided on said one end wall into which said one end of said sleeve extends.

5. A filter bag as in claim 3, and a collar provided on said one end wall into which said one end of said sleeve extends, and means for releasably securing said collar about the outlet end of a vacuum cleaner air conduit.

6. A vacuum cleaner filter bag comprising an elongated body member provided with opposing end walls, a wall provided within said body member and extending between said end walls to define a pair of enclosed inner chambers within said body member, a collar provided on one of said end walls at one end of one of said chambers, an opening defined in said inner wall remote from said collar, said body member and said walls being formed of air pervious material, and a sleeve formed of air impervious material, said sleeve being disposed within said one chamber, one end of said sleeve being secured in said collar and the other end of said sleeve being secured in said opening, and said sleeve having an air pervious portion between the ends thereof.

7. A filter bag as in claim 6, and strap and buckle means provided on said collar for securing the latter in portion on the outlet end of a vacuum cleaner air intake conduit.

8. A vacuum cleaner filter bag comprising a pair of opposing end walls and a body member extending therebetween, an elongated peripheral opening defined in said body member, slide fastener means for closing said opening and a pair of overlying flaps provided on the inner surface of said body member along said opening to prevent the escape of air therethrough when said slide fastener is closed.

9. A vacuum cleaner filter bag comprising a bag body formed of a material of sufiicient porosity to permit the passage of air while preventing the passage of dust therethrough, a partition disposed transversely of the interior of said bag body dividing it into two compartments, said bag body being provided with an inlet opening in one of said compartments and said partition being provided with an aperture therethrough, a sleeve having one end secured about said inlet opening, the outer end of said sleeve being secured about the partition aperture whereby said sleeve provides communication between said inlet opening and the other of said compartment, :1 portion of said sleeve being air pervious.

10. A filter bag according to claim 9, wherein an air pervious portion of said sleeve is formed of a material having a higher degree of porosity than said bag body.

11. A filter bag according to claim 9, wherein the sleeve is provided with an insert formed of an open mesh material.

12. A filter bag according to claim 9, wherein said partition aperture is disposed at a point remote from the inlet opening.

13. A filter bag according to claim 9, wherein said sleeve is provided with an elbow bend immediately adjacent to the partition aperture.

14. A filter bag according to claim 13, wherein ,a foraminous insert is provided in the portion of said sleeve adjacent to said elbow bend.

15. A vacuum cleaner filter bag comprising an air pervious bag body, a partition disposed transversely of the interior of said bag dividing it into two compartments, an inlet for said bag in communication with one of said compartments, a sleeve, one end of said sleeve being in communication with said inlet and the other end thereof being in communication with the other of said compartments.

16. A vacuum cleaner filter bag comprising an elongated body member provided with opposing end walls, a wall provided within said body and extending between said end walls to define a pair of enclosed inner chambers within said body member, a collar provided on one of said end walls at one end of one of said chambers, an opening defined in said inner wall remote from said collar, said body member and said walls being formed of air pervious material, and a sleeve formed of air impervious material, said sleeve being disposed within said one chamber, one end of said sleeve being secured in said collar and the other end of said sleeve being secured in said opening, said sleeve having an air pervious portion of foraminous material between the ends thereof, a strap and buckle means provided on said collar for securing the latter in position on the outlet end of a vacuum cleaner air intake conduit, said vacuum cleaner comprising a chassis mounted by a pair of wheels provided on an axle therefor, an operating handle extending rear- Wardly from said chassis, said chassis further mounting motor means, said motor being provided with an air intake conduit for the introduction of dirt and debris by suction of an inlet member of said vacuum cleaner, opening means enclosed by a collar therefor being provided in the front end wall, the inlet end of said sleeve being enclosed by said collar by fastening means, said body, member being provided with a pair of flaps through which said operating handle extends and by means of which the other end of said body member is mounted on said vacuum cleaner, an elongated peripheral opening being defined in said body member, slide fastener means for closing said opening being provided and a pair of overlying flaps also provided on the inner surface of said body member along said opening to prevent the escape of air therethrough when said slide fastener is closed, said slide fastener means being disposed at a point intermediate said opening defined in said inner wall and the said other end of said body member, said peripheral opening and fastener means extending substantially around the entire periphery of said bag.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 217,579 6/1879 Burgess et a1. 1,597,272 8/ 1926 Finkhousen 55-376 X 1,601,045 9/1926 Serva 55-368 X 10/1931 Vanderwilt -366 5/ 1933 Dickinson 55-368 12/1933 Leathers 55-381 X 6/1935 Meek 55-378 X 9/1935 Smellie 55-350 3/1936 Johnson.

2/1937 Muentener 55-367 6/1938 Gasner et a] 55-375 X 7/1941 Levengood 55-372 X 8/1943 Taylor 55-371 4/1944 Dow 55-371 X 8/1952 Martin 55-378 X 3/1954 Tamarin et al 55-367 X 9/1959 Beal et al. 56-254 10/1960 Imber -21 X FOREIGN PATENTS 4/ 1957 Italy.

HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner.

DENNIS E. TALBERT, JR., Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

